Certain medical treatments include the use of gases that are inhaled by the patient. Gas delivery devices are often utilized by hospitals to deliver the necessary gas to patients in need. It is important when administering gas therapy to these patients to verify the correct type of gas and the correct concentration are being used. It is also important to verify dosage information and administration.
Known gas delivery devices may include a computerized system for tracking patient information, including information regarding the type of gas therapy, concentration of gas to be administered and dosage information for a particular patient. However, these computerized systems often do not communicate with other components of gas delivery devices, for example, the valve that controls the flow of the gas to the computerized system and/or ventilator for administration to the patient. In addition, in known systems, the amount of gas utilized by a single patient is often difficult or impossible to discern, leading to possible overbilling for usage.
There is a need for a gas delivery device that integrates a computerized system to ensure that patient information contained within the computerized system matches the gas that is to be delivered by the gas delivery device. There is also a need for such an integrated device that does not rely on repeated manual set-ups or connections and which can also track individual patient usage accurately and simply.